Hey Polycount,

My girlfriend is looking to purchase a new laptop for schooling, now me myself I know some, but not enough when purchasing computers(technical specs etc.) So basically I was wondering what spec should she be looking for when buying a laptop here is the conditions etc.

-NO more then 1000$
-She wants Windows 7 (IF she gets a PC)
-She will be using the computer for homework(documents etc), music, youtube, maybe watching a few movies etc, so she definitely will not need a heavy performing computer (reflects price)
-She does enjoy shiny things very much of course.
-She originally wanted a macbook, but she wants to get a good deal for her money so she is not opposed to getting a PC

And thats about it.

(sorry for the hastily jotted down thread in advance)

Thanks PolyCount

If she likes macs, do it. You can get a Macbook for $1000 and it will do everything you need. Get it used for less.

This one looks really nice.

engadget
Best Buy

She can't have Win7 and a Mac... well, you CAN, but not from factory. And it would completely defeat the point of buying a Mac.

Screw getting a Mac. You can go to a Best Buy and get just about any laptop in the store for less than $1000.

Personally, I've been looking at something from this list: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olstempl...A%3E1900-01-01 (hope the link works)
I like the Intel i3 processors (i7 if you want more power). I'm also targeting blu-ray (readable) drives, so I can watch blu-rays on the go, or rip them for my iPod. Either way, any laptop should be more than powerful enough to cover her needs. I'd just focus on the Intel i series processors because of their multimedia options.
The only brand that I'd avoid (based on online complaints), would be Toshiba. HP has crappy customer service, but I've found their computers to be pretty solid. My wife's Gateway is pretty solid too, and the customer support was good too, but they were purchased by Acer, so I don't know how that may have effected other things.

I'll definitely get her to check these out thanks both of you, and what i meant is if she got a PC she would want Win7 haha, i'll fix it in the original post She is currently looking at dells, i just don't want her to get screwed over on the technical side of things which companys seem to be doing a lot.

Dell has been a pretty good company in the past. My company uses them for all of computers/laptops, and they stand up to the abuse our engineers put them through.

I understood what you meant ;) I just mean she couldn't have both :P

Originally Posted by notman

Dell has been a pretty good company in the past. My company uses them for all of computers/laptops, and they stand up to the abuse our engineers put them through.

I understood what you meant ;) I just mean she couldn't have both :P

haha, i've mostly always used dell (except for a few hps... and a mac) and they always seem to be really tough like you said, but i haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate there tech support with a passion.

I second the macbook. Get bootcamp on it and run Win7...best of both worlds

+1 for the MacBook.

I bought a 13" MacBook Pro last year and after daily use for 15 or so months I can safely say it is by far the best laptop I've ever owned. Build quality on the 'Unibody' aluminium ones is incredible, OS X is a rock solid operating system for anything you need to do which doesn't require Windows...and Win7 64 runs perfect if you need it.

And just to clarify, I'm not an Apple fanboy, I use a desktop PC and would probably not recommend their desktops, but the MacBooks, if you don't mind paying out that bit extra (which admittedly is a bit of an 'Apple tax' then they're worth every penny.

The only thing i worry about for her is if she does buy a macbook, could she buy a pc laptop for a chunk of cash cheaper with the same stats as the macbook (but of course with win7 instead of osx)?


Edit: I forgot to mention the size, i know she would really prefer the larger screens on a laptop (17 vs a 13)

Not to start a Mac/Win argument, but that Apple Tax is a hefty fine. I mean, $999 is the cheapest version, and it's only 13"? Then it only has a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which is outdated now. Only 2GB of Ram, where most laptops come with 3GB+. Then, the topper, only a 250GB hard drive. They don't even sell PC laptops with this low of specs anymore, yet Apple wants double the price. I like their products, but I would love to see them get realistic with their pricing, and sure as hell wouldn't buy THAT laptop, just to throw on Windows, which I could have gotten with a cheaper computer. (end rant)

My HP has been damn near rock solid for the last 5 years. The only thing that hasn't lasted, was the battery, which is partially my fault for leaving it plugged in all the time. Oh, and in the last couple months, the touchpad has gotten 'iffy', though still usable. My wife has had her laptop for several years now, and it still works beautifully. I really fail to see why paying extra for a Mac really pays off :/

Update (cross post): I would recommend NOT getting the 17" laptop, unless she plans to use it on a desktop most of the time. My HP is a 17" laptop, and it gets awkward to use on your lap at times, not to mention it's MUCH heavier and is harder to find laptop bags for. You can get smaller laptops with the full keyboard these days (which is a big deal for me).

Originally Posted by notman

Update (cross post): I would recommend NOT getting the 17" laptop, unless she plans to use it on a desktop most of the time. My HP is a 17" laptop, and it gets awkward to use on your lap at times, not to mention it's MUCH heavier and is harder to find laptop bags for. You can get smaller laptops with the full keyboard these days (which is a big deal for me).

I have told her this one, I myself have been using my laptop as a desktop and it is a 17" (my actual desktop recently has deceased), and it seems like she really does enjoy the bigger screen but would maybe settle for something like a 15", (she has been using a 17" laptop she is using now until she gets a new one.)

But what stats/specs should she be looking for in a laptop considering she only wants to spend 1000$ MAX, wants win7, wants the comp to be decently nice on the outside (girl thing i suppose), and will only be using it for papers (MSDoc Etc), facebook/internet, youtube, music, and some movies.

Originally Posted by notman

Not to start a Mac/Win argument, but that Apple Tax is a hefty fine. I mean, $999 is the cheapest version, and it's only 13"? Then it only has a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which is outdated now. Only 2GB of Ram, where most laptops come with 3GB+. Then, the topper, only a 250GB hard drive. They don't even sell PC laptops with this low of specs anymore, yet Apple wants double the price. I like their products, but I would love to see them get realistic with their pricing, and sure as hell wouldn't buy THAT laptop, just to throw on Windows, which I could have gotten with a cheaper computer. (end rant)

Oh for sure, I totally agree. Apple's are MASSIVELY overpriced, I know that but it just comes down to the simple fact it's nothing but a luxury to go for the MacBook over a Windows based laptop.

You could argue the same about cars... a VW Golf will get me from A to B, do 130mph for £15k, whereas there are BMW's that'll do the same for £25k etc, both German, both built well, but you pay the extra for the luxury.

But in the OP it said the girlfriend likes 'shiny things' and you don't get much 'shinier' than a Mac.

Of course if you literally just want the best bang for your buck then most definitely don't go for a Mac.

Also, I'll second the comments about 17". They are a little too big too be portable from my experience, 15 seems to be a good compromise on the portability vs screen real estate.

Originally Posted by creationtwentytwo

But in the OP it said the girlfriend likes 'shiny things' and you don't get much 'shinier' than a Mac.

Of course if you literally just want the best bang for your buck then most definitely don't go for a Mac.

Also, I'll second the comments about 17". They are a little too big too be portable from my experience, 15 seems to be a good compromise on the portability vs screen real estate.

Oh she definitely does enjoy shiny things (which is why i become more and more broke hahaha), but she would much rather have a bang for your buck computer and i'm sure there are some nice pc's out there (that bamboo one may intrigue her)

The samsung (from the list I posted) is actually kinda sexy looking... My wife and daughters liked the appearance too. But, they didn't like the touchpad that much. I was fine with it. The Sony Vaios are pretty nice looking also. You should tool on down to the electronics store and let her look for the prettiest one ;) Like I said, just about everything out there, should have the power to cover her needs.

Also, I've noticed several 16" laptops lately, and for some reason, that 1" seems to make the laptop more manageable than the 17".

Originally Posted by creationtwentytwo

You could argue the same about cars... a VW Golf will get me from A to B, do 130mph for £15k, whereas there are BMW's that'll do the same for £25k etc, both German, both built well, but you pay the extra for the luxury.

Yeah, but I wouldn't buy the BMW and then put a Golf's engine into it ;) Thus, I wouldn't spend money on a Mac, just to put Win7 on it ;) At least, if buying a Mac, leave OSx on it.